MOSCOW (Reuters) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Monday said he had asked Russian President Dmitry Medvedev to back “sanctions with teeth” targeting Iran's energy sector.

Netanyahu, who met Medvedev in the Kremlin Monday, is campaigning for additional sanctions against the Islamic Republic.
Israel has repeatedly asked Russia to scrap a contract to sell an air defense system known as the S-300 to Iran and Netanyahu claimed he had received assurances from Medvedev that Moscow understood the seriousness of the issues involved for regional stability.
“On this issue Russia is taking into consideration the needs for stability in the region,” Netanyahu told reporters. A spokeswoman for the Kremlin declined to comment.
Russia wields a veto in the United Nations Security Council.
Russian officials have in recent days indicated that Moscow could support a tougher stance on Iran, though neither Medvedev nor Prime Minister Vladimir Putin have publicly commented on the situation for weeks.
Photo: Dmitry Medvedev and Benjamin Netanyahu (R) meet for talks in Kremlin, February 15, 2010. (Reuters photo)
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